After a day of extreme weather, floodwaters have swept away a bridge near Arthur's Pass.
Significant segments of Goat Creek Bridge on State Highway 73, east of Otira, have been washed away by the raging water.
A second bridge nearby is also flooded, NZME reports.
SH73 had been closed from Arthur's Pass to Jackson earlier in the day due to weather conditions, along with SH6 from Harihari to Fox Glacier and between Hokitika and Harihari.
Arthur's Pass National Park saw more than 300mm of rain on Thursday, thanks to what MetService is calling a "monster front" along the West Coast.
Schools have been closed and rivers threaten to burst their banks. Hokitika was slammed by more than 800 lightning strikes in a 20-minute period on Thursday morning, according to MetService.
Further south, a group of students from Otago Boys' High School found themselves stranded in a lodge in Mt Aspiring National Park after heavy rain flooded a nearby creek.
They'll have to stay an extra night before it's safe enough to trek to the end of the trail.
Newshub.
